Abstract
Food choices are complex functions of several elements that could change over time. Nowadays consumers appear careful about sustainable food consumption: the behavior of “food citizenship”, as the practice to support a sustainable food system during the consumption actions, arises. This study aims to recognize the existence of food choice behaviors in the contemporary scenario and to investigate the relation between the food choice factors and the behaviors recognized. Following a quantitative research method, a sample of 380 participants, recruited from a traditional Italian food and wine event, completed a questionnaire in order to detect their attitude about food. Four current food choice behaviors were recognized: The Individualist, The Foodie, The Environmentalist and The Health enthusiast. The relation between food choice factors and food choice behaviors was explained. Several stakeholders could benefit from the study results, in order to better understand how to adapt products and marketing strategies to satisfy the emerging customer’s needs and awareness. Even if a person can identify themselves within a single food choice behavior, they become aware of other choice models expanding their personal point of view. Finally, new research scenarios arose for the researchers.
Highlights
Food choices, as human behaviors, are affected by several and interrelated factors including sensory and non-sensory characteristics [1,2]
Consumers can act on a food choice behavior during several activities, such as: acquiring, preparing, serving, giving away, storing, eating and cleaning up food [3]
The paper aims to investigate the motivations underlying the food choices of consumers in order to recognize the existence of behaviors in the current food scenario and to identify the factors that affect these behaviors
Summary
As human behaviors, are affected by several and interrelated factors including sensory and non-sensory characteristics [1,2]. Food choices have the following characteristics: (i) frequent, as a consequence of the availability and accessibility of food in contemporary developed countries, where the food can be acquired anywhere, anytime and by anyone [4]; (ii) multifaceted, related to several behaviors adopted during the different stages of food consumption [3]; (iii) situational, as affected by time, activities or in general society [5]; (iv) dynamic, changing over historical and personal time [6]; (v) complex, related to several considerations about what, when, where and with whom to eat [5]. Various authors mention a certain number of food choice factors and arrange them into a range of groups between 3 and 10 [15] These factors are labeled and combined in different ways and are shown within the models in several combinations, they are often related to three main points of view: product, consumer and context (see Table 1).
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